


Polybius

by orphan_account



Category: Rhett & Link
Genre: Arcade, Gaming, Gen, Polybius, Retro, Urban Legends, rhett and link - Freeform, video games - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-28
Updated: 2017-07-28
Packaged: 2018-12-07 22:30:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 969
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11633262
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: "Polybius is an alleged 1981 arcade game described in a 1998 urban legend. The original game's actual existence has never been authoritatively proven,[1] but it has served as inspiration for several free and commercial games by the same name."Inspired by a gif by glassedhalf on tumblr. Look here--> https://glassedhalf.tumblr.com/post/163502589069/i-made-a-thing-d





	Polybius

**Author's Note:**

> I would suggest watching the music video for Less Than by Nine Inch Nails, as its aesthetic played a big part in this. If you can’t watch flashing lights and things do not watch it. Also Beyond from The Animatrix. Lastly the song from Pokemon’s famous Lavender Town. That’s what I listened to while I was writing this.

Rhett followed Link into the arcade, eager for the day’s reprieve from their normal routines. Each boy had a bag of quarters at the ready, jingling in their pocket as they eagerly explored the darkened environment, the lights from various games flashing, inviting them to play. It was the rumor of a new addition to the local establishment that had brought them on on this particular afternoon. After promising each of their moms they would make it home for dinner, the two had rushed out to chase down the small town’s new rumor, excited to explore a new world of pixels, colors, and virtual lives more exciting than their own. 

The two moved in tandem, as one unit of energy, inspecting each machine for a sign of newness, a sign of a new delivery. All the usual games were there - Centipede, Asteroids, Space Ace, to name a few. The boys considered for a moment simply playing a favorite of theirs, Pac Man, when Link spotted the “New Game!” sign hanging from the ceiling. He elbowed Rhett in the ribs, and ignored the small cry of annoyance as he pointed towards it. 

“Yes! Sweet!” Rhett laughed and ran forward, a scrawny Link at his heels. He looked the large screen up and down, running his hands along the controls, jamming down the buttons with his thumb. “Polybius... that’s a cool name.” 

“Yeah, and it better be a cool game.” Link grinned. He looked along the sides and the front and made a face. “What kind of game doesn’t have any art on the box?” He stood on his toes, looking up at the sign and down to the brightly colored images that were flashing on the screen. _Play now! 25 cents!_ “Probably sucks.” 

“Come on, man, don’t be a jerk.” Rhett nudged him with his own elbow and looked back at the game. “Let’s just give it a shot, okay?” 

“Yeah, okay. But I get first.” Link put his quarter into the machine and bumped Rhett out of the way. He watched as an option screen came up. “Oh hey, Rhett, it can do two players.” 

“Nice of you to notice.” Rhett replied gruffly as he put his own quarter into the other side of the machine. “I guess one of us does the controls and one of us shoots.” He said, watching as a little ship appeared at the bottom of the screen. 

“Yeah... guess so.” Link said in a distant voice. He moved the joystick and watched as the little red ship slid around, spiraling, moving forward into a never ending tunnel. “Alright, so we move up here, and then... Oh look! Shoot it!” 

Rhett jammed a red button and watched as little missiles shot from their ship, missing the green ship coming their way. It collided with their little ship, causing it to ghost before becoming fully colored again. Rhett groaned as he saw a little icon of the ship at the top of the screen blink and vanish. “Man, we gotta be in better position.”

“I know man - it’s just really sensitive.” Link watched as the little ship moved in circles, up and down, eventually returning to its original spot. 

Rhett nodded. “Just gotta keep going.”

“Right.”

As the two boys played on, the game began to flash its lights more rapidly and more brightly. Lines would bounce through the screen at a ferocious speed, causing each one to have to blink several times in order to re focus their vision. Strange patterns whirled around their little ship, the black background in stark contrast to neon blues, pinks, and greens. Little enemies continued to fly at their ship, forcing Rhett and Link to work together in order to shoot them down. After several minutes of playing Rhett looked up to notice that there were only two lives left. He looked over at, to relay the information, but quickly forgot what he was planning to say. 

Link’s eyes were glazed over, and they were flickering. Flickering like the ship did in the game when it was hit. Rhett reached over, cautious, and shook Link’s arm gently. “Link.” He shook his arm again. “Link!”

“What?” Link looked over at him, his eyes returning to normal. As he did this, Rhett saw their ship get hit out of the corner of his eye. He watched as it blinked rapidly and looked back at Link, who was flickering. He was flickering like the ship in the game, blinking, pixelating and disintegrating. 

“Rhett - “ Link reached for his friend, his hand flickering in and out. “I’m scared - “

He reached out again, his hand flickering in and out, no longer solid. As Rhett reached back, horrified, he watched his friend disappear, just as the ship on the screen did. 

Rhett felt dumbfounded. He turned back to the screen, now playing both parts. He watched as the little ship spun in circles, narrowly avoiding aliens. He pounded his fist onto the little button, firing rapidly, watching as the ship circled around and around, the lights becoming faster and more dizzying. 

“Come on... Come on...” Rhett said to himself, circling around, the lights jumping aggressively into his eyes, making him blink. He felt dazed, dizzy. He wiped a tear from his face, not wanting to think about Link. If he thought about Link, he would die. “Come on you stupid ship...” He aggressively hit the button that fired and then hit it again.  _Out of ammo_ , a little flashing sign read. 

“No.” Rhett watched, helpless, as the ship was hit. It began to blink. He looked down at his arms and watched as they flashed in and out. In a split second decision, he reached forward. Just as he was flickering out again, he hit the start button.

The game paused.

And so did Rhett. 

**Author's Note:**

> If you like it, please leave a comment. They keep my heart of darkness pumping.


End file.
